NZ International Convention Centre Builds on Aconex

Platform Chosen to Accelerate Data Flows and Processes Project-wide

Auckland, April 20, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Aconex Limited (ASX:ACX), provider of the #1 global platform connecting teams on construction and engineering projects, is helping SKYCITY Entertainment Group Limited manage information and processes for the design and construction of the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).

Scheduled for completion in mid-2019, the NZICC will be the largest purpose-built convention centre in the country, capable of hosting 3,150 people. With 32,500 square metres of floor space, it will be five times larger than the current largest convention facilities in New Zealand. The project will also include a five-star, 300-room hotel and a laneway featuring specialty retail and signature restaurants and bars.

"It was evident to us that a project of this size demanded an effective, project-wide document management system," said Geoff Wicks, project management consultant at Beca Group, a professional services organisation with 3,000 employees in 19 offices around the world, which is managing the project for SKYCITY. "We knew that relying on an email and file-sharing methodology for handling the massive amount of project correspondence and documents we envisaged producing just wouldn't work."

The Aconex Advantage

The NZICC project team evaluated several solutions that provided document control and related project information and process management capabilities. "Aconex has been widely adopted in our market," said Mr. Wicks. "Many people and companies on the team had used it before with positive experiences, so the decision to use Aconex became very easy."

With the project currently a third of the way through construction, there are already more than 140 organisations and over 500 team members connected and collaborating through Aconex. The secure, neutral platform provides the team with immediate access to project data and correspondence, regardless of their location. Aconex uses a single document register with version control to manage current and prior revisions of all documents on the project, ensuring that participants are working with the most current information at all times.

"Aconex allows us to efficiently send and receive information around an ever-widening project team without having to use file systems, emails or hard copies," said Mr. Wicks. He also cited the structured communications and search capabilities of the platform as key advantages to the project team.

"Before we adopted Aconex, I had more than 30,000 emails on this job," said Mr. Wicks. "By keeping project correspondence on Aconex, we have reduced email traffic significantly, and we can find what we need immediately. Searching for previously issued correspondence or documents is easier and more logical using Aconex, compared to digging through old emails or a file server. If we were using file-sharing software on a project of this size, with so much correspondence in circulation, we would struggle to ascertain what the most current information was in an environment where things are changing day by day."

Smarter O&M Manuals

As the design phase of the project moves into construction, the NZICC project team plans to implement Aconex Smart Manuals, which enables the head contractor to efficiently capture, review and deliver the documentation required for operation and maintenance (O&M) of the built asset. With Smart Manuals, the O&M manuals are digital and compiled progressively throughout the project, making it easy for the owner - in this case, SKYCITY - to maintain the documentation over the operating life of the asset.

Total New Zealand Experience

"The NZICC will be at the heart of New Zealand's culture of innovation, a hub of inspiration and a total experience for the visitor," said Steve Brant, general manager of Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) at Aconex. "The facility is expected to generate $90 million of economic benefits to New Zealand annually and to create 150 jobs. We appreciate the opportunity to support SKYCITY and the government in this collaborative partnership."

About Aconex Ltd

Aconex Limited (ASX:ACX) provides the #1 cloud collaboration platform for digital project delivery. This platform connects owners, contractors and their project teams in the construction, infrastructure, and energy and resources sectors, providing project-wide visibility and control between the many different organisations collaborating across their projects. With more than 70,000 user organisations in 70 countries, Aconex is the industry’s most widely adopted and trusted platform. Founded in 2000, Aconex has 47 offices in 23 countries around the world. The company's ordinary shares are traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the ticker code ACX and are included in the S&P/ASX 200 Index.